\..J .KAl'\J .U YY A 1 ..bK CG u ..b W ..bK Gary Wilson Pres1dent Kyle Bailey

Neal Dalton A. Dan Holyoak

A. Dan liolyoak Vice President

Neal Dalton William McDougald Barbara Morra Dan Pyatt Rex Tanner

SERVICE AGENCY William McDougald Alfred Mcleod Jefl)' McNeely Barbara Morra

Dan Pyatt Kan Tangren

Dale Pierson Manager/Operator 3025 E. Spanish Trail Road

PO Box 1046 Rex Tanner Kana VanderZanden

James Walker Gary Wilson

Secretary/Treasurer Moab, Utah 84532

Phone: (435) 259-8121 Fax: (435) 259·8122

To: From: Subj: Date:

Donna Metzler, Brent Williams, and Mark Page Dale F. Pierson Points of agreement at 9-3-02 meeting September 8, 2002

The following are the items of agreement reached at our meeting of 9-3-02 regarding ground water monitoring.

1. George White Well #4 will be the primary monitoring site as it is located between the new Agency sources and the City sources.

2. Grand Water & Sewer Service Agency will, at its expense, install probes in George White Well #4 and #5. The probes will provide constant monitoring of static, pumping and recovery water levels.

3. Data obtained from the probes will be available to Moab City at any time upon request.

4. The City of Moab will monitor their sources at their convenience and report their data at the meeting referenced in #5 or at any special meeting.

5. The Agency, Moab City, and the Area Office of the State Engineer will meet annually, at the end of each water year, to assess pumping and ground water data and to make any adjustments to Agency discharges as the State Engineer may require.

6. A special meeting may be called if conditions warrant at any time.

The one thing that we did not discuss is setting "trigger points" at George White Well #4. I would suggest that if pumping levels in George White #4 reach 95' or if static levels reach 90' that we would immediately call a meeting and determine the reason for water reaching these levels.

If there are any comments, suggestions, etc. that any of you may have, please let me know.

OPERATING COMMITIEE

Gary Wilson President A. Dan Holyoak VICe President

Neal Dalton William McDougald Barbara Morra Dan Pyatt Rex Tanner

Dale Pierson Manager/Operator Secretary/Treasurer

Phone: (435) 259-8121

GRAND WATER& SEWER

SERVICE AGENCY

3025 E. Spanish Trail Road PO Box 1046

Moab, Utah 84532

GRAND WATER & SEWER SERVICE AGENCY OPERATING COMMITTEE MEETING

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2002- 7:00 P.M.

AGENDA AMENDED OCTOBER 17, 2002

1. Call to Order

2. Minutes - Operating Committee Meeting 10/2/02

3. Citizens to be heard

4. Division of Water Quality - Board Presentation (Walt Baker, Ed

Macauley)

5. Water Project - Report

6. Spanish Valley Roundtable Statements of Objectives

7. 2002 Irrigation Season- Report

8. Executive Session to Discuss Matters Related to Pending or Reasonably Immanent Litigation

9. Check Approval

10. Financial Statement

11. Items from Board Members

12. Items from Staff

13. Adjournment

AGENCY DIRECTORS

Kyle Bailey Neal Dalton

A. Dan Holyoak William McDougald

Alfred McLeod Jerry McNeely Barbara Morra

Dan Pyatt Kar1 Tangren Rex Tanner

Kana VanderZanden James Walker Gary Wilson

Fax: (435) 259-8122

GRAND WATER & SEWER SERVICE AGENCY

Operating Committee Meeting October 2, 2002

The meeting was called to order at 7:00p.m. by President Gary Wilson at the Agency office, 3025 East Spanish Trail Road, Moab, Utah. Other Operating Committee members present were Neal Dalton, Rex Tanner, Dan Holyoak, Barb Morra, Those in attendance established a quorum. Agency Operating Committee members absent: William McDougald, Dan Pyatt & Rex Tanner. Other Agency Board members present were Karla VanderZanden, James Walker, and Kyle Bailey, and Karl Tangren.

Others present were Dale Pierson, Marsha Modine, Geoff Freethey and Sue Bellagamba.

Motion by Dan Holyoak to approve the minutes of the September 25, 2002 meeting as presented. Second by Neal Dalton. Gary Wilson - aye, Dan Holyoak - aye, Neal Dalton - aye, Barb Morra - aye, Rex Tanner - aye, Karla VanderZanden- aye, James Walker- aye, Karl Tangren - aye. MOTION CARRIED.

Citizens to be Heard None

Water Pro ject Report Mark Page was invited but had inspections in Blanding. He said that if he was unable to attend tonight, he will be at the next meeting. Rex asked about well monitoring. Donna Metzler. Brent Williams, Dale and Mark Page met two weeks ago. Dale felt that some points had been agreed upon, but Donna questioned those points of agreement. Dale had suggested that George White #4 be used as a monitoring well as we have a 20-year history on that well. The Agency is putting permanent probes in our culinary wells which will make it easy to keep records. Kyle stated he thought Donna wanted to check with the City's water engineer.

2002 Irrigation Season Dale stated that we are unable to run pumps because not enough people are using water on the irrigation system. If the irrigation system is to be shut down early, he would like to have lead time to inform the customers. Concern for the grape growers was expressed. Dale recommended ending the season mid-October. The electricity costs of pumping were discussed. (Kyle Bailey arrived at 7:05). Neal Dalton moved to shut off the irrigation October 20m. Second by Jim Walker. Gary Wilson - aye, Dan Holyoak - aye, Neal Dalton - aye, Rex Tanner - aye, Karla VanderZanden - aye, James Walker - aye, Karl Tangren - nay, Kyle Bailey- nay, Barb Morra - nay. MOTION CARRIED.

Resolution in Support of Task Force Efforts to Initiate Further Studies to Quantify Developable Water From the Sole Source Glen Canyon Aquifer Dale explained about the formation of the task force. Sue Belagamba said that more information is a good thing - that theie is an opportunity for U.S.G.S. and Division Water Rights to garner more information. U.S.G.S. wants more field data to redefine the BYU model. Rex asked Geoff how studies differ since 3 or 4 studies have been done in the past. Geoff discussed the various studies that have been conducted and their good points and shortfalls. Rex asked if there have been any major advancements in technology? Geoff answered that there have been advances. The ground water flow study will cover 2-3 years and the study area will cover Spanish Valley up to the LaSals. Karla VanderZanden asked if agreeing to support the study was a commitment of Agency funds. Dale answered it was not. Motion was made by Jim Walker to approve the resolution. Seconded by Dan Holyoak. Discussion followed. Gary Wilson - aye, Dan Holyoak - aye, Neal Dalton - aye, Rex Tanner - aye, Karla VanderZanden - aye, James Walker - aye, Kyle Bailey - aye, Barb Morra - aye, Karl Tangren - nay. MOTION CARRIED.

Check Approval Motion by Dan Holyoak to approve the checks in the amount of $53,506.68. Second by Kyle Bailey. Gary Wilson - aye, Dan Holyoak- aye, Neal Dalton- aye, Rex Tanner­aye, Karla VanderZanden - aye, James Walker - aye, Kyle Bailey - aye, Karl Tangren - aye, Barb Morra- nay. MOTION CARRIED.

Items from Board Members Rex said that he would like to see the monitoring agreement with the City completed in this down time. Jim Walker asked about the silt in Ken's Lake. He wondered if a program to monitor lake capacity loss should be put in place. Jim also mentioned that Moab Irrigation Company will be turning their system off on the 15th.

President Wilson declared the meeting adjourned at 8:15p.m.

ATTEST:

Gary N. Wilson, President

Dale F. Pierson, Secretary/Treasurer

GW&SSA Page 2

October 2, 2002

', CITY OF MOAB

115 WEST 200 SOUTH

MOAB, UTAH 84532-2534 M AIN N UMBER ( 435) 259-5 121 F AX N u MBER (435) 259-4135

M .WOR : o .w;o L. S,; ;.;..~ : SON C ouNCIL: K YLE BAIL~':'

JEFF"~ EY A D AVIS

Kl RST! :-1 P~TERSON GREGG W Sn.;cKJ RoB SwEETE:-~

To:

From:

Dale Pierson , Span ish Valley W ater and Sewer District Manager

Donna Metzler, City Manager ~ : __ -~_\./~·

Date: November 5, 2002

Subject: Monitoring W ell Location .................................... ...... ... .......................... ...... City staff have reviewed the District's we ll monitoring proposal with the City's Water Engineer, Todd Jarvis from MWH. The City disagrees that George White Well No.4 is a suitable location for a monitoring well , and still promotes the idea of an independent aquifer performance well at an intermediate location between City and District sources. However, recognizing that the ideal solution of an independent monitoring well may not be reached, the City would be wi lling to consider another alternative if all efforts to establish an independent monitoring well are unsuccessful. This alternative is discussed below. The City also has concerns about setting clear "triggers" or thresholds, but believes that the City and the District can reach a consensus on this issue, as well.

Concerns about usinq the Georoe White Well as the Primarv Monitorino Site

Moab supports the District's proposal to install water level probes in the George White wells,. acknowledging that the District would be install ing these probes in their wells, regardless of the need for aquifer monitoring, as a means to monitor the pumping water levels in these wells to protect the pumping eq uipment, and, presumably, to provide some information regard ing drawdown levels of these particular wells . It would clearly be in the District's interest to install the water level probes.

The question of whether the George White Well No. 4 is an appropriate location for an aquifer performance monitoring well is a different question. The City's three main concerns are: George White Well No.4's being an in-use well, availability of long term monitoring data to fil ter out extraneous influences, and the ability of the George White well to provide a good indicator of impacts on the City's wel ls and springs.

The most important concern is the issue of the George White Well No.4's being an in-use well. As you know, the District actively uses the George White wells as sources of supply. The water level data collected from the probes will reflect water level changes due to pumping and pumping cessation, and/or simply the change in aq uifer storage near the well. Using dedicated monitoring wells used solely to monitor the change in aquifer storage is common practice in

"' .. aquifers at risk. Moab's recommended location for a dedicated monitoring well is consistent

ADM-MEM-02- 11-001

... _ ..

with other areas where the aquifer is at risk, such as the City of Cheyenne. Wyoming well field tapping the Aquifer and the San Anton io Water System, Texas, tapping the Edwards Aquifer.

If an independent monitoring well is not feasible, the next best solution would be to choose a monitoring well or spring that has historical monitoring data. Historical monitoring data is extremely important when using an in-use well for aquifer performance monitoring in order to filter out extraneous information. With historical data, we can also have information about the well's response to seasonal and other changes. Because a water level probe apparently does not exist in the George White Well No. 4, the history of water level data is more than likely incomplete. Thus, the method for approximating an independent monitoring location - using historical data to establish trends and thereby providing a way to filter out the influence of the well's activity as well as other influences - is not possible with George White Well No. 4.

The final issue with the District's well proposal is the location of the George White Well No. 4. The City believes that a monitoring location closer to the City's well field would be a better indicator of impacts on our wells. A location between the City's and the District's wells would serve the dual purpose of providing useful information for both the City and the District. For this reason, the District should support an independent monitoring location for its own purposes, as well.

An lndeoendent Monitorina Location is the City's Preferred Option

For the above reasons, the City believes it would be cost effective and in both the City's and the District's interests to share the cost of developing an independent monitoring well at an intermediate location. The City has estimated that the cost of drill ing the well, and purchasing the necessary probe, computer and PDA to download the probe information to be a maximum of $40,000.

An Alternative to an Independent Monitoring Location

Although the City wishes to be clear that an independent monitoring location is the City's preferred option, we do propose an alternative.

The City proposes monitoring interference with the City's sources using the metered discharge rates from Moab Spring No. 3, and changes in water quality from Moab's sources. The City contends that Spring No. 3 is the best existing point of performance and verification monitoring because: (1) the springs represent the hydrologic low for the Navajo Sandstone aquifer where water stored in the aquifer discharges as the springs, and (2) spring flows are con tinuously monitored and have been for over 10 years. The risk to the District in this scenario (assuming agreed upon flow reduction thresholds), is that the impact of overdeveloping the aquifer and impacting Spring No. 3 may not be seen within a few years. The District's water system growth may outstrip what the aquifer can reasonably sustain before the overdevelopment is observed and reduced production is required to maintain the sustainability of the aquifer and protect the City's prior appropriation of water rights. This "ramping-up" of approved production is warranted pending collection of longer-term monitoring data, i.e., the City would support an initia l approval for limited production to meet immediately anticipated needs versus build out projections.

As you know, monitoring the quality of water in the aquifer is as important as measuring quantity. Degradation of water quality is one indicator of having developed the aquifer beyond sustainability. The City (and presumably, the District) is concerned that overpumping of the Navajo Sandstone aquifer to the point may cause encroachment from lower quality water areas .

ADM-MEM.02-1 1.001

This should be avoided. The City proposes that we can monitor quality by bi-annual sampling of a mutually agreed-upon well within the City's well field, along with sampling from Spring No. 3. The water from these sources would be tested for TDS.

Triooers and Thresholds

The City insists that the monitoring plan include specific triggers or thresholds, with specific agreed-upon and State-endorsed changes in ground water management practices, should the thresholds be exceeded. This would include changes in production, if warranted, or preferably, if production approval was approved incrementally, a curtailment of increased production approval. The thresholds would be in place indefinitely. Using the Moab Spring No. 3 as the point of monitoring, the City proposes that if flow from the spring drops below 350 gpm, then the State would require the District to limit the production to 50% of the water right until the District shows that the diminished flow is not due to its well use. If there is an incremental approval of production, the District wouldn't necessarily be in a position of having to make large-scale curtailments in water delivery. The City proposes that water quality triggers would occur if the TDS from one or both sources (Spring No.3 and the other agreed upon location) increases by 10% or more. In this case, the City proposes that the State limit production to 50% of the water right until the District shows that the increase in TDS is not due to the District's well use.

Summary

In summary, an agreement to share the cost of an independent monitoring well, along with an agreement to abide by specific groundwater management practices should agreed-upon "triggers" or thresholds occur, coupled with a "ramping-up" of well production as monitoring dictates, would be sufficient for the City to allow the District to proceed with its water project without further legal delays. Note that an agreement to use Moab Springs No. 3 with the above stipulations would also meet the City's purpose. The City believes that these agreements would represent money well-spent to monitor the overall health of the aquifer. I would be happy to attend a District Board Meeting to discuss this issue more fully, if you think it would be helpful.

Cc: Brent Williams Mayor and City Counci l Todd Jarvis Mark Page

ADM-MEM-02-t t-OOl